Androgenic Anabolic Steroids Use in Pakistan From The Perspective of Bodybuilders

Objectives: to determine the prevalence of androgenic anabolic steroids (aas) use among bodybuilders in different cities of pakistan. methods: this cross-sectional study recruited 380 bodybuilders utilizing convenience sampling from different cities of pakistan, including karachi, lahore, multan, quetta, peshawar, faisalabad, rawalpindi, and islamabad. the study was conducted over a period of 6 months from january 2019 to june 2019. the sample included male bodybuilders aged 18 to 50 years. the basic demographic sheet and a self-designed form were used to collect data. spss software v. 21 was utilized for statistical analysis. the chi-square test was used to observe any relationship with p<0.05 as significant. results: the current study showed a prevalence of 109 (28.68%) aas use in bodybuilders with testosterone being most commonly used. a total of 54 people (49.5%) used self-administration, 38 people (34.9%) used it for the short-term while 27 people (24.8%) used it in long-term. bodybuilders were mostly inspired by peers 73 (67%) and encouraged by coaches 62 (56.9%) to use aas. regarding knowledge of aas, its usage, benefits, and side effects, the majority (89%) had little or no knowledge. conclusion: the study concludes that the use of aas is quite prevalent among bodybuilders in pakistan with 28.68% of aas mainly using testosterone preparation, and bodybuilders of age 20 to 40 mainly consuming aas. peers were the main inspiration for most (67%) and encouraged by their coaches to use aas (56.9%).